Op-Ed: Pondering the US presidential election across the Pond has resulted in this writer concluding that America's voting system is as flawed as ours in the UK.

How it works is a mystery to me, probably as I am British, but that could apply to citizens of the States. After all a great deal that happens politically in the UK remains just as mysterious to the electorate.

Currently the two main, if not the only real, political parties trying to get their leader into the White House for a four-year-term, the Democrats, left of centre politics, and the Republicans also called the GOP, right of centre, are going through what seems an interminably long contest to choose party leaders.

Some would say both the Democrats and the Republicans are what we in the UK would call right-wing political parties but that one is closer to the centre ground.

As they say the show is on the road and candidates are still offering themselves up to televised debates in some States especially where it is still any person's race.

Front runner for the GOP still appears to be politically extreme big mouth and billionaire businessman Donald J Trump. For the Democrats a former White House resident, as she was a First Lady back then, Hillary Clinton is hoping to be elected to run for her political party.

When you consider the number of people living in the USA you have to wonder how come these two people are the best the political parties can come up with at this time.

Big money plays a big part in American politics which means any old Joe cannot simply stand for election and expect to have a chance. Candidates either need to be self-funding or have wealthy backers wanting to buy a voice in the White House.

You can pretty it up however you like but that has to be the case.

The USA is a diverse country, truly multi-cultural if you look back at its roots, but just as immigration is likely to swing the upcoming EU referendum in the UK it will have an impact on the presidential election.

The Democrats have two candidates in the running for party leader Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton; neither is young.

Yet in spite of his advancing years Bernie Sanders has caught the imagination of many voters in the USA and in particular younger voters. It reminds this writer of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's army of supporters who in many cases are young people.

The two men both offer left leaning politics and in doing so perhaps hope to people with open, liberal minds who are looking for real change.

With Hillary the change would be a first female POTUS but other than that it would be same old politics.

For the Republicans candidate Jeb Bush offers same old politics as the brother of George W Bush.

Keeping it in the family cannot be good news.

Donald Trump may not be quite same old politics as he often seems a rather rogue politicians but he is a scary prospect.

The race just to elect leaders of these two political parties still has a long way to run. The electorate must surely be bored silly by the time the final vote is cast.

The current state of play is:Democrats-Delegates won2,382 needed for nomination · 4,763 availableClinton 394 Sanders 44

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